NEW DELHI – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed in a recent chargesheet that Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, received a 3.5-acre plot of land in Gurugram as a bribe. This allegation, which contradicts Vadra’s claim that he paid ₹7.5 crore for the property, could have political repercussions for his wife, Priyanka Gandhi, as the ED has also raised questions about her poll affidavit.
The chargesheet, filed on July 17, alleges that Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, was gifted the land by Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd (OPPL) without any payment. The motive, according to the ED, was to secure Vadra’s influence with then-Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to obtain a housing license for OPPL in the same village. The ED asserts that Vadra later sold this land to DLF for ₹58 crore.
The ED’s investigation disputes the payment claim, stating that the cheque mentioned in the sale deed was issued by a different company, Skylight Realty Pvt Ltd, and was never cashed. Furthermore, the chargesheet notes that both of Vadra’s companies had minimal capital, making the initial purchase financially implausible.
In a development that could impact Priyanka Gandhi, the prosecution complaint also mentions the attachment of three high-value properties in Faridabad’s Amipur village, totaling 39.7 acres. The ED claims these properties, allegedly owned by Vadra, were not disclosed in her poll affidavit when she ran for a Lok Sabha seat from Wayanad in November 2024. The Kerala High Court has since issued a notice to her regarding this alleged non-disclosure.
Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, providing false or incomplete information in a poll affidavit is considered a corrupt practice, which can lead to disqualification and even imprisonment. The ED has named Vadra and 10 others as accused, claiming they laundered “proceeds of crime” worth ₹58 crore. The case is a culmination of a probe that began with a 2018 FIR filed by Gurugram police.
The Rouse Avenue Court is scheduled to take cognizance of the chargesheet on August 28. In the meantime, the ED has attached properties worth over ₹37 crore allegedly linked to Vadra as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation. Vadra has previously denied any wrongdoing, calling the case a “political vendetta.”
